Take-down gun.



No. 755,660. 'PATENTED MAR. 29, 1904. M. HBPBUML TAKE-DOWN GUN.

APPLIUATION FILED NOV. 27,-1903. N0 MODEL.

" ism is operated by No. vsaeeo.

ilivirn, A "raras Patented Maren 2e, 1904..

MnLviN HEPBURN. QFNEW HAvEN,coNNEcricUr,'AssiGNoR To THE MARLIN rinnrinMs COMPANY, Vor NEW HAVEN, .coNNncricUT, A vcoaroinirioN or'coNNncrionT. f

,rasa-noten eure.

` srnciricarioiv forming part f yLetters rement NOQ 755,660, dated March 29, 1904..v

' Appiicaatn nea November 27,1903. semina 182,716. `en maar To a/ZZ wiz/0711, t 71mg/ concer-n:

Be it known that I, MnLviN HEPBURN, a citizenof the United States, residing at New Haven, county of'New Haven, State oi' Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful.

Improvements in Take-Down Guns, of which.

the following is a Ar'ull, clear, and exact description. I My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements intake-down magazinerrearms of the type in which the breech mechana longitudinally-reciprocating liandle adapted to travel parallel to. the barrel and forward of the' receiver. A iirearm oftliis type is shown in the'patent to Lewis L. Hepburn, No. 551,226, 'dated June2, 1896, and f theparticular construction i' the breech mech-f ani'sm (which forms no part oftli'e.v present in vention) is iully described therein.'

My invention consists in iin-'proving a cer# tain feature of construction whereby the user is enabled to detach.the barrel from the receiver with greater facility thanis permissible in the construction shown in the patent abovereferred to. 1g' y Briey described, my improvement-resides in 'providing a simple, inexpensive, and effective latch mechanism wh`r'by when it is desired to separatethev barrel from the remechanism is mechanically held out of en-y ce'ivei` or attach said parts the rod which connects the operating-handle with the breech gagement with the receiver portion, so that the barrel may be rotated without interruption.

In the accompanying -drawings,-Figure l is a perspective view of certain portions of a take-down iirearm of the magazine type, said parts being partially detached. Fig 2 isa fragmentary view, partly in section, illustrating certain details of construction. Fig. 3 is aside elevation of the rear end of the operating-rod and latch mechanism.

Since the breech mechanism of the gun' forms no part of this invention, the same is not shown and need not be described. Oneform of breech mechanism suitable Ifor use insuch a gun as illustrated in the accompanying drawings is, however, described and shown in 'full in the above-referred-to patent.

A is the forward' part of a receiver, to which.

a barrel B'may Lbe detachably secured, the usual well-known screw-threads (not shown) being provided between saidI parts.

I C representsthe magazine. Y

` D is an Vopening in thereceiver A,with which the magazine C is in line when the parts are arranged in their inal assembled position.

The magazine @may be slid into this opening,

so that it Will act as a boltto prevent the ilidependent rotation of'the'barrel and magazine.

E is a reciprocating operating-handle.

F is an operating-rod for the breech mech.

anism. -.(Nnt"shown.) This rod is secured to the handle E and is arranged to pass through the opening G and intot-lie forward end the receiver.` v`Jifhen the .parts are in'their final position.. the barrel B cannot be rotated, be? cause the rod F, as well as the magazine.,'will act as a bolt. f l

, When "it 'is desired4 to remove the barrel from the' receiver, the magazine C is slid forward out ofengagementl with said receiver,

and the handle E is' also slid forward until the rear end ofthe rod F isfreed from the receiver. This, will leave'the barrel free to be rotated and removed. It is oi' course essential tha`t the rod F shall. stand in this forward position during the act of attaching or detaching the barrel. To'accomplish this, I have provided simple and eective means whereby said rod is held forward mechanically,

means comprises a frame or band H, which may beisecured to the barrel B or the'magazine C. and which is provided with an inthe side of the rod F is formed a longitudinal groove'F, which groove toward the rear end of the rod may be deepened or cut' through to form `t-'suiiicierit space to' permit the end of a spring-latch I to be depressed. On this latch I may have a nose ll', whichprojects into the path of the stud or shoulder H. The slot F2 preferably terminates before it reaches so that` Vthe barrel may be readily detached. This wardly-projecting shoulder or stud H. In

`fication without preferably removable, and thesame may' be formed by the blunt endof a screw projection through the traine H. The noseI is so placed that when the handle E is pulled forwardto the position indicated in the 'spring'l ward excursion of rod F to allow said nose IIv to slip over said shoulder. vWhen in this position, the shoulder acts as a'stop to prevent the 4rod F from slipping back, so as to project its end to the rear of the forward end of the receiver. When the barrel is screwed into place and the magazine() and rod -F are in alinement with vthe openings D and G, respectively, the handle E may be pulled back,

suihcient power being applied .to overcome the resistance of the spring I, whereupon the nose I"4 recedes, slipping over the end of the stud H', whereupon said rod enters the receiver through the opening G.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the improvement resides mainly in providing means wherebythe rod F is prevented from becoming accidentally retracted during the vattachment or detachment of the barrel.

In. illustrating my invention I have shown its preferred form; but it is obvious that in form and arrangement it is capable of modideparting from the spirit and scope of my invention. In the preferred construction the spring I `is a blade', witha nose formed integrallytherewith, the said spring being riveted to the rod F, as shown at le.

What I cla-im is- -l. In a take-down firearm in which the barrel is removable from the -receiver by rota tion, a reciprocating operating-rod carried forward of the receiver and arranged Ato project into the receiver, means to withdraw said rod entirely from the lreceiver and a latch to tcmstud H .is I

Figs. land 2 `it will. stand just ahead of the shoulder or `stud H',-

yielding sufhcientlyy on the fortion, vsaid means 24th day of November, 1903'.

porarily'hold said rod in said withdrawnpoe sition.'

- -2. In a takefldown firearm in which the barrel isremovable' from the receiver by rotation, a reciprocatingoperating-rod carried forward of the receiver and arranged to project into the receiver, means to withdraw said rod entirely from the receiver and means tofrictionally'hold said rod in said withdrawn position, said means comprising a yielding latch and a shoulder or stud arranged to cooperate with the saine.A

' 3. In a take-down firearm in which the' barrelis removable from the receiver by rotation, a reciprocating operating-rod carried for- Wardgof the receiver into theY receiver, means to entirely from thc receiver Withd raw said rod and means to fricv tionally hold said rod in said withdrawn position, said meansjcomprising a yielding latch and a shoulder orfstud arranged to cooperate with the same, saidlat'eh being carried by said rod.

4:. In a take-down firearm in whichthe barrel is removable from the receiver by rotation, a reciprocating operating-rod carried forward of the receiver and arranged to project into the receiver, means to withdraw said rod entirely from the receiver and means to frictionally hold said rod in said withdrawn posiand a shoulder or stud arranged to cooperate with the same, said rod beinggrooved, said latch being carried in said groove, said stud or shoulder ),)rojectin'g into said groove and into the path of the said latch.

Signed at New Haven, Connecticut, this l n MELVIN HEPBURN, Witnesses:

MAHLON H. MARLIN, M. L. POST.

and arranged to projectv comprising a yielding latch 

